Application of a Simple Pasture Model for Predicting Biomass Responses to Contrasting Defoliation Patterns.

Previous studies have shown that pasture mass can be used to predict herbage accumulation rate. Models of this relationship can be used to predict total forage production from contrasting defoliation patterns such as continuous grazing at low pasture mass (over-grazing), continuous grazing at high pasture mass (under-grazing), regular rotational grazing, “tall” grazing, or mob stocking. In many cases, the impact of these contrasting defoliation regimes is due to the overall impact on forage mass. Examples are shown that can have high or low forage production depending on the overall forage mass. Failure to provide quantitative descriptions of these defoliation regimes can lead to confusion in the grazing industry about benefits and disadvantages of these treatments.